Watching With Ten Thousand Eyes

The Armada: one of the greatest mysteries in Pirate101. But what do they want? What are they planning? What is the "Grand Design"? In the first ever expanded article on Swordroll's Blog, and my three hundredth post, I'll explore what could be one of the most significant references in Pirate101, and how it might tell us just what we can expect.

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The Grand Design, Revealed

In this first ever expanded article, I'm going to attempt to deliver an important message about Kane's master plan - the machine tells all!

You see, Blind Mew has some interesting words about the machine. He recently said this:

The Machine... It is the testament to Kane's vision, the manifestation of his genius, and the instrument of his will. In terms of Kane's Grand Design, The Machine is both means and end. We will reveal what it's for in good time.

Now I'm not sure about you, but that tells me that the machine is an absolutely key part of Kane's plan and master design. Therefore, if we can see how it works and what it does, we can have a clearer picture of the "Grand Design."

I am going to use a reference to a television show called Person of Interest to show you exactly how I think The Machine works. But first, you'll have to be familiarized with the show, of course.

Getting to Know Person of Interest

Person of Interest, often abbreviated PoI, is a television show on CBS every Thursday night. So, when you, being the obsessed KingsIsle fan that you are, look at your clock Thursday night and remember that Paige Moonshade is tuning into Glee, you can now know what I'll be watching.

In Person of Interest, a seemingly non-existent billionaire meets up with an ex-CIA agent. Harold Finch, a rich and retired programmer, built a Machine that watches everyone, everyday, all the time. Through every camera and every phone, every computer and every microphone, you are watched and heard. The Machine was built to prevent another 9/11, and was sold to the government for one U.S. dollar. The government does not have access to the machine, only its numbers. 

The machine gives the number of a perpetrator or victim involved in a crime where life is at stake. However, the government is only interested in those on a terrorism level. Every other individual life is considered irrelevant. Finch couldn't live with the idea. Before sending the machine off to a secure location, a back door was built, where he received these irrelevant numbers. Reese, the ex-CIA agent, now assists him in stopping crime before it happens.

The Machine is constantly watching. Its power in enormous, and it must not fall into the wrong hands, though many people will ask questions, and many more will attempt to take control of this device. In Person of Interest, this is very much a reality for many people, but, this actually isn't entirely unrealistic in real life. In fact, such technology is actually in the works. Of course there's always an issue of your privacy rights, but what if it were like Pirate101? What if nobody... mentioned it?

It Can See You

Like Person of Interest's Machine, Kane's has its out source of cameras. Birds - clockworks ones, all over the Spiral. Valencian ships are present in every world except Monquista as of now, and they seem to be leaving a few things behind.

You might not have seen or recognized them at first, but they're everywhere. Disguised as scarakeets on Skull Island, they perch on buildings like the ones in Blood Shoals. There, you'll find three. If you think they're just normal scarakeets, perhaps you should take a closer look at their movement, shown in an animation to the left. You may need to click on it to see it work.

They aren't just in Skull Island, though. You'll find these in Valencia, of course, and all over Cool Ranch as well. The Armada, however, is also on the move in MooShu, Marleybone, and a number of other places.

The birds are something we definitely have to watch out for. Marco Pollo made sure to warn us of that.

What Pollo Said

Marco Pollo left seven pieces of a map scattered around the Spiral. Wizard101 players with a registered credit card with a correct address (NOT members. I was not a member, and received a map) received a version of the map. It's important to note that it was a varied version, but it was one of the neatest take-home items that the game has given out, and it's rare to get that sort of thing.

Anyway, he left a variety of helpful messages, all coded on his map. I took the liberty of decoding some of those message, and I think you'll be interested to know what I found. First, there's one that says "No one knows why the islands are disappearing in Valencia..." While curious, I found this one even more interesting.

Apparently, this little theory about the clockwork bird isn't some crazy idea that Swordroll just pulled out of thin air! Surprising, hmm?

One Step Ahead

Have you ever noticed how the clockworks are always just a little bit further into things than you? You know... one small step for pirate, one giant leap for "clockwork-kind"? Well, besides good story-telling, and a great way to set up potential turns in the storyline, this is probably due to the fact that the clockworks happen to know what's going on thanks to their birds.

Then, though, you have to ask the question: How did they not see us coming when we ran into Finn? English Bill? Tso? Well, it probably isn't Deacon that's keeping an eye on us. Sure, he has his own death wishes... for us... but Kane is the real master behind all of this, right? Not necessarily. The mysterious clockwork queen should also be taken into consideration. Blind Mew notes that there's a specific reason that we haven't heard about her yet.

D.S. Devereaux wrote a few posts not long ago about the Armada in comparison with chess. I suppose that when KingsIsle said they wanted to make less of a card game and more of a chess game, they meant that in more ways than one.

Suppose she's the one running the show. Isn't the King (Kane) the piece you must protect, but the queen the most valuable one? And, just to throw other clockwork names out there... Rooke, Bishop, the list doesn't stop.

Bird Watching

In summary, you're being watched... every hour of every day. On your ship, at the docks, in your house, everywhere! Sivella's clockwork birds spy on you to gather information that is transmitted to The Machine. The Machine, in turn, can predict your every move. Being "means and end," it searches for El Dorado, destroying everything in its path. Perhaps, the "Grand Design" and a perfect Spiral doesn't just not have room for pirates... it doesn't have room for anyone else, either.

Think on it... a perfect world, made entirely of people manufactured to do just what they're told. There'd be no competition, no pirates, nothing that would interfere with Kane's supreme power. Keep your eyes open... a.k.a. watch for birds!

The Unspeakable

Well, high markings for you if you actually read through the whole post! Bonus points for comments and figuring out the title reference! I think we'd best keep an eye on The Machine. And, in the meantime, don't talk much of it. Not my post, nothing! Shh... it can hear you!



Special Notes: Person of Interest clips provided in this post are entirely safe. The show itself may contain scenes that are intense for some children. Credit to CBS for both PoI videos.